Hypothesis X
The soul, after its departure from the body, undergoes testing in the air by evil spirits which encounter it and attempt to impede its ascent.
A. From the Life of St. Anthony the Great
1. St. Anthony the Great was once preparing to eat at his normal time; according to custom, he stood to pray. It was then the ninth hour. But at that very moment he felt himself somehow carried off spiritually. And this unusual thing took place: While he was standing there, he looked on himself, as though he had left his body, and his soul was taken into the air by several beings. After this, he saw a number of fearful and ugly creatures standing in front of him in the air, trying to keep him from passing.
Those who were guiding his soul began to wrangle with these frightening creatures, who were asking for an account of the soul which they were accompanying and whether it was responsible to them for some debt. While the latter wanted to begin their assessment from St. Anthony’s birth, those who were accompanying him stopped them, saying: “Whatever errors Anthony committed from his birth have been erased away by the Lord; however, all of his deeds from the time that he became a monk and dedicated himself to God you may examine.”
Though the demons accused Anthony, they could not prove their accusations; so his path remained free of impediments. Immediately, he saw himself return to his body, and he revived. And St. Anthony became as he had earlier been.
However, such was his agitation that he forgot to eat, and he passed the rest of the day and the whole night groaning and praying.
He was stunned when he reflected on how many temptations we must combat and what trials one must endure to pass by the air-borne demons. And he thought that this must be the meaning of the words of the Apostle Paul: “According to the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).
For this power alone belongs to the Enemy of our souls, that is, to war against us and try to impede those souls ascending into Heaven. Thus St. Paul counsels us with even greater insistence, saying: “Take unto yourself the whole armor of God so that you can withstand the Devil on that wicked day, that the enemy might be brought to shame and thus have to say of you nothing dishonorable” (c.f. Ephesians 6:13).
2. After this vision, several people went to visit St. Anthony and began to discuss with him the soul and where it goes after its departure from the body. The very next night, he heard a voice call to him saying:
“Anthony, arise. Come out from your cell and look.”
Indeed, St. Anthony the Great went out (for he knew what voices he should heed) and, having lifted his gaze up to Heaven, saw the following vision.
A tall and fearful creature, horrible in form, was standing straight up. His height seemed to reach up to the clouds, while a multitude of creatures flew around him, as though they had wings. He would stretch out his hand and some of these he prevented from flying, while others succeeded in passing by and flying higher, continuing on their path without obstruction. This immensely tall demon would grit his teeth over those who escaped him; but, on the contrary, he would rejoice over those who drew near and were knocked down.
Forthwith St. Anthony heard a voice:
“Anthony, try to digest all that you have seen.” And thereupon he cleared his mind and reflected on what he had seen. It was the passage of souls into Heaven, and the immensely tall and frightening wild man, who was standing erect, was the Devil, who despises the faithful. He takes hold of those who have been guilty of sins and tries to prevent them from passing. Those who did not in their lives heed his counsel, however, he cannot hold, and for this reason such persons succeed in soaring above him and making their way to Heaven. When St. Anthony the Great saw this vision, it reminded him of the earlier one that he had seen, and he struggled daily, thereafter, to excel in the virtuous life.
B. From the Gerontikon
Two brothers once agreed both to become monks. After their tonsures, they rightly decided to build two cells, one some distance from the other. They departed from one another, therefore, and each was, for the sake of silence, cloistered in his cell. A number of years passed without one seeing the other, since neither of the two went out of his cell.
It happened, however, that one of the brothers fell ill and the Fathers went to visit him. They observed that the monk fell into ecstasy and, a bit later, came to. So, with some curiosity, they asked him: “What did you see, Father.” “The Angels of God,” the sick monk answered, “coming to fetch me and my brother and to lead us into Heaven. As we were going up, we were met by hostile powers, countless in number and of fearful form. Though they bothered us a great deal, they nonetheless had no success against us. Just as we were passing by these powers of Satan, they started saying: ‘Purity gives great boldness to a soul!’”
No sooner had he spoken these words than the monk reposed. When the Fathers who were there determined that he was dead, they sent a monk to announce this to his brother. But the monk found the brother also dead. And so the Fathers glorified God in wonderment.
C. From St. Isaiah
Beloved Brother: Those who occupy themselves with the ephemeral and vain world, if they advance and make gains, do not count the trials which they have endured, but rejoice at the progress which they have made. Can you imagine, then, my brother, what joy the soul of a man who undertakes spiritual work for God, and finishes it successfully experiences? It is natural for the soul to feel unfading joy for at the moment of its departure, the good works which it has done will precede it when it ascends into Heaven. At that time the Angels of God will rejoice together with it, as they see it delivered from the powers of darkness.
This happens because, when the soul of man departs from the body the Angels go along with it. However, all of the powers of darkness then hasten to meet it and seek to take hold of it, thereby to examine it carefully and learn whether or not it was engaged i.e. any of their own works. It is not now the Angels who struggle with the demons to protect the soul; but the deeds of the soul surround and defend it, so that the demons cannot touch it. And if the good deeds of the soul defeat the demons, then the holy Angels sing on its behalf, until the soul, with joy and gladness, meets God. At that time, the soul completely forgets all of its good deeds in this vain world, as well as the labors it knew.
Blessed, indeed, is he against whom the leaders of darkness can find nothing. He will find joy, honor, and rest beyond all measure. Let us thus weep with the whole power of our soul before God, that in His goodness He will take pity on us and send aid from on high, by which we might do all to conquer the leaders of evil, who obstruct our path [towards Paradise-Trans.]. Let us thus, disengaged from the many other pursuits of life, take care with resoluteness of heart to fulfill the Will of God, which will save us from the hands of the demons when they shall come to meet us there above.
Let us remember love for the poor, that this love might save us from greed, when the sin of greed shall come to meet us.
Let us acquire peace with all, the humble and the great, that this might guard us against hate, when it shall come to meet us.
Let us acquire patience before all and in all things, that this might guard us against carelessness, when it shall come to meet us. Let us love all of our brothers and sisters, without hating anyone or repaying anyone any ill done against us; for this shall guard us against envy, when this demon too shall come to meet us.
Let us love the endurance in humility of our neighbor’s word, even if this word should bring upon us hurt and derision; for humility will guard us against pride, when it too shall come to meet us.
Let us seek to honor our neighbor and not to condemn or hurt anyone; for this shall protect us from gossip, when it shall come to meet us.
Let us despise the cares of the world and its honors, that we might be saved from its bewitching evil, when it shall come to meet us.
Let us teach our tongues to be unceasingly occupied with the commandments of God, righteousness, and prayer, that we might be protected from falsehood, when it too shall come to meet us.
All of these foregoing evils impede the soul, while the virtues to which we have attained help it to confront these evils successfully. Now, what prudent man would commit his soul to eternal death, just to be relieved from the labors required to gain these virtues?
Let us do all that is within our power and the power of our Lord Christ, which is great, to help humble ourselves; for our Lord Jesus Christ knows that man is hapless, and thus He has granted him repentance, as long as the soul is in this corruptible body, that he might, until his very last breath, correct himself and flee from sin.
D. From the Gerontikon
The esteemed Archbishop Theophilos said: Indeed what fear and terror and what need the soul experiences when it departs from the body or, afterwards, when it has been completely separated from it. For then all of the principalities and powers of darkness come upon it and make manifest all of the sins which it has committed, whether in knowledge or ignorance, from the time of a man’s birth until his last hours, when the soul is separated from the body. These powers brazenly draw near it and furiously accuse it.
Confronting these hostile powers of darkness are the holy powers—Angels—putting forth and calling attention to the good deeds that soul occasioned to perform.
Think what agony and terror the soul will experience when it stands before such a tribunal and faces such a fearful and impartial judgment.
It is impossible for anyone to express in words or to conceive in his mind the fear that overtakes the soul up to the moment that the decision of the Judge is given, and it is released from those who hold it. That moment precisely is the moment of the soul’s greatest torment, until it hears the verdict of the Righteous judge.
If, then, by the verdict of the Righteous Judge, the soul is given its freedom, immediately the enemies scatter and the bright Angels seize the soul from them and, with no more obstructions, it is led by the Angels to that inexpressible joy and glory to which it will finally be restored.
If, however, the soul lived in carelessness, and is thus found unworthy of being freed, then it shall hear that most dreadful voice: “Let the ungodly be taken away that he see not the glory of the Lord” (Isaiah 26:10).
Henceforth begins for that soul the day of wrath, sorrow, and unceasing grief; it is given over to the outer darkness, hurled into Hell, and condemned to the eternal fire, in which it will remain damned unto the unfading ages.
What, then, do the luxuries and fanfare of this world benefit the soul? Where are the vainglory and the delights and the enjoyments of this vain and fleeting world? Where is the money? Of what benefit a high birth? Where are your father, mother, brothers and sisters, and friends?
What from all of this can free your wretched soul, as it is burned by the fire of Hell and tormented by indescribable punishment?
Archbishop Chrysostomos, et al. The Evergetinos: A Complete Text. Book I. Etna, CA: Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, 2008, pp. 85-89.
Note: I believe that my posting of this brief excerpt falls under the fair use exception of copyright law. Please support the author and publisher by purchasing the book if you are edified by this except; the entire four volumes are simply wonderful.
Here are just a few of the many references to the Toll Houses which are found in the Canon of the Parting of the Soul from the Body found in the Great Book of Needs(these are from the St. Tikhon’s edition).
“Noetic roaring lions have surrounded me, seeking to carry me away and bitterly torment me. Do thou crush their teeth and jaws, O pure One, and save me” (Ode 3, Troparion 2).
“Behold, terror has come to meet me, O Sovereign Lady, and I am afraid of it. Behold, a great struggle awaits me, in which be thou unto me a helper, O Hope of my salvation” (Ode 4, “Both Now”).
“They that shall lead me hence have come, holding me on every side. But my soul shrinks back and is afraid, full of great rebelliousness, which do thou comfort, O pure One, by thine appearance” (Ode 7, “Glory”).
“O thou that gavest birth to the Lord Almighty, when I come to die, do thou banish from me the commander of the bitter toll-gatherers and ruler of the earth, that I may glorify thee unto the ages, O holy Theotokos” (Ode 8, Troparion 3).
And from another canon at the departing of the soul from the body, for those who have suffered a long time, by St. Andrew of Crete:
“Come all you that have gathered together, who have lived your lives in piety, and lament the soul bereft of the glory of God, for shameful demons are striving to enslave it” (Ode 1, Troparion 1).
“Behold, a multitude of evil spirits are standing about, holding the handwriting of my sins, and they cry out exceedingly, shamelessly seeking my lowly soul” (Ode 1, “Glory”).
“O Sovereign Lady! O Sovereign Lady! Have mercy now on my perplexed soul looking to thy protection only, and do not disdain me, O Good One, who am being given over to demons” (Ode 4, “Both now”).
“Have mercy on me, O all-holy Angels of God Almighty, and deliver me from all the evil toll-collectors, for I have no good deeds to balance my evil deeds” (Ode 7, Troparion 2).
Q. I’m Greek Orthodox but I’ve never heard of the “Old Calendar.” Could you please explain what this means?
A. All Orthodox in the world used the Julian Calendar, which is currently thirteen days behind our modern civil calendar, until March 1924. At that time, the bishops of the Church in Greece unilaterally converted their dioceses to the New Calendar, by deleting thirteen days at once, so that the religious calendar would coincide with the civil. This means that Orthodox Christians across the world were now celebrating the important celebrations of our faith out of sync with each other, which impacted the unity of the Orthodox Church. The majority of the Orthodox in the world did not accept this change, as is still the case in places like Russia, Serbia, Jerusalem, and Georgia.
Q. So the majority of the Orthodox in the world did not accept this change. Why did the Greek Church promote it, then?
A. Greece had just suffered the Catastrophe in 1922, and was destabilized internally between factions. Those in power believed that the only way Greece could survive was to ally with the Western powers such as Great Britain. The adoption of the New Calendar was seen as a way to cement ties with the Anglican Church and make the Greek people look more akin to Western Europeans to ensure greater political and cultural integration.
Q. Had the Calendar ever been an issue discussed before?
A. Yes. In the 16th century, when Pope Gregory XIII instituted the New Calendar, he wrote to the Orthodox to encourage them to accept it. They refused, and condemned the Calendar on three separate occasions. One of these Orthodox councils resulted in a document called the Sigillion of 1583, which condemned the New Calendar as incompatible with the Orthodox faith.
Q. Did anyone in Greece resist this change?
A. Yes. About 25% of the people and many of the priests in Greece at that time did not accept this change. Many more priests were unhappy with the change, but they were threatened with loss of livelihood since the Church in Greece is not separate from the State (and, indeed, to this day, many Old Calendarist priests work a secular job and take little or no salary from their parish). Monks from Mt. Athos, the center of worldwide Orthodox monasticism, came to serve them. Some of the bishops who originally went along with the change tried to get it overturned privately, and when in 1935 they saw this was not going to happen, returned to the original Julian Calendar (now called the “Old”). They ordained new bishops, and formed a Synod that maintained the traditional Calendar. The State of Greece persecuted them, calling them “Old Calendarists” (Παλαιοημερολογίτες) which they meant as an insult. The Old Calendarists preferred to call themselves Genuine Orthodox Christians (GOC), because they did not alter even one Tradition of the Orthodox Church. These bishops travelled to other Orthodox countries to solicit support, but due to the volatile nature of the world at that time, none came. These bishops eventually died, were exiled, returned to the New Calendar under threats, and one isolated himself and refused to commune with the others, forming a faction. The last Greek bishop on the Old Calendar died in 1955.
Q. I thought a Church can’t exist without a bishop? What happened then?
A. That is true, and for this reason, the priests formed a committee and approached the Russian Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) for help. Eventually, ROCOR bishops helped consecrate bishops for the Old Calendar Greeks. Some of it had to be done secretly as the State of Greece would try to arrest anyone being ordained. By 1969, though, once the situation was stable, the ROCOR issued all the necessary paperwork to demonstrate it accepted these ordinations and maintained full communion with the GOC.
Q. Why didn’t the other Churches help the GOC?
A. Over time, other changes were introduced into the Orthodox Church to make it more modern, and attempts were made to reach out to other Christians in a process called Ecumenism. Ecumenism started off as a noble idea—try to get Christians back together—but being completely outnumbered and often intellectually overpowered, the Orthodox delegates (many of whom had studied in the West) gradually began to agree more and more with the non-Orthodox positions, rather than convincing the non-Orthodox to become Orthodox. The Orthodox Church confesses that it is the original Church of Christ, and therefore, there can be no compromise in matters of faith. These meetings were acceptable when it was simply people trying to overcome misunderstandings, but once joint prayers and joint statements began, the Orthodox delegates should have ceased. They did not, and began to more actively support such bodies, such as the World Council of Churches.
Q. You mentioned the Russian Church Outside Russia, but what about the one Inside? What did they have to say about this, since they stayed on the Old?
A. In the Soviet Union, the Church there had been overtaken by the Communists, and those who refused to cooperate went underground, living in secret. We consider these people the “Catacomb Church” and accept that they were Genuine Orthodox Christians as well. The State-controlled Church there was used as a tool to promote the Communist party, and as such could not be recognized as a truly Orthodox body. For all of these reasons, no support came to the Old Calendarists. In fact, the Communists intended to eventually change the Calendar there, too; it was switched in Bulgaria in 1968 as a test case, but the formation of an Old Calendar Church there in reaction made them postpone the plans.
Q. Communism ended though. Why is that still an issue?
A. Indeed, communism ended, but those bishops who had been installed by the Communists for the most part did not resign or repent. Generic “mistakes were made” type statements were issued, but no concrete repentance followed. Most communist-appointed bishops continued to participate in Ecumenism, and those nominally on the Old Calendar continued to support the New Calendar in places where it had been adopted.
Q. So it’s not just about a Calendar then.
A. No, it’s about a general process in the 20th century to Westernize and modernize the Orthodox Church, and to push it in to union with the non-Orthodox Churches by means of political compromises. The Calendar was in many respects the frontline of the battle; in fact, an Encyclical written by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1920 “To the Churches of Christ Wherever They May Be” outlined the change of calendar as just one of several points in a modernization scheme. The Calendar, Ecumenism, and modernistic practices together have diminished the Orthodox faith, reducing it in many places to a purely secular and cultural phenomenon and hurting its spiritual power.
Q. Are you not recognized by the Greek Archdiocese (GOA), then?
A. The question might be posed in reverse: “do we recognize the Greek Archdiocese?” because we are, after all, the ones who remained faithful and did not change anything. But no, there is no mutual recognition between the GOA and GOC. Differing bishops and jurisdictions have differing views on the Old Calendarists from tacit support to sympathy to disdain. We do not base ourselves off of their recognition, however, since again we are the ones who kept the faith purely, and our ordinations were conducted by and canonically recognized in 1969 by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, which no one could deny was a valid Orthodox Church.
Q. What would I have to do to become a member of this parish?
A. You can speak with our priest about this in private. Our Church approaches the reception into communion of those coming from the New Calendar Church on a case-by-case basis. The process varies because the people vary. Our goal is to build up the Orthodox faith in you, which you may not have been taught completely elsewhere. We’re not interested in criticizing your past, but instead on taking the foundation you’ve received and helping you grow in the Orthodox faith. We have to get to know you a little in order to do that.
Q. I can see this is a vibrant community and the people seem spiritually happy. I’m just not ready to commit because this is a lot of information I’ve never heard before. What do you recommend?
A. We are here for everyone, regardless of his or her affiliation. Christ teaches us to minister to one and all. You are welcome to attend liturgy, and participate as much as you are able as a guest. We do ask that you not approach communion in our Church until you’ve had a chance to make a decision and have spoken with the priest, but you are welcome to receive antidoron (blessed bread) at the end of liturgy. We are also happy to pray the Mnimosino or other prayers for you and your family. Take your time to get to know us, and we can provide you with any additional information you need.
This was a booklet that I originally prepared to distribute to those visiting my mission parish from a New Calendar background, many of whom by this point were unaware that there even was such a thing as the Old Calendar Church. Its focus is pastoral in nature, rather than historical/doctrinal.
Concerning this Website and My Writing
Over the past five years, over 120 of my articles have appeared in various places online, but mostly on the websites of St. Mark the Evangelist Orthodox Mission in Raleigh, North Carolina, Nativity of the Holy Theotokos Orthodox Church in Greenville, North Carolina, the Eastern Carolina Orthodox blog, and the Triangle Orthodox blog. Content was created with each particular site in mind, as the purpose of the writing was two-fold; to instruct and edify the faithful on the one hand, but also to improve search engine rankings and drive more traffic to the particular websites, in an effort to increase visits to the missions. Thanks be to God, we had some successes with this approach!
In October 2012, however, I went on a leave of absence from serving as a priest due to personal issues. St. Mark Mission ended up going inactive, and Nativity of the Holy Theotokos went to another Orthodox jurisdiction. Yet my content continues to be read and I continue to receive positive feedback about it, mostly from people living far away from North Carolina. Having my writing appear in various places online, however, seems to make it harder to find, and so I have now collected the material together in one place for the convenience of those who wish to learn more about the Orthodox faith, Orthodox missions, and the like. I will also begin to write again more actively for a broader audience, and this new content will appear here on this blog.
Thank you for your interest in my writing, and if you have anything you would like to see me address in future posts, please add your comment below!
September 2012 Bulletin Message
Please Note: This is something I wrote over a year and a half ago, which I never published online. I am posting it now for posterity. – Anastasios
Dear Friends in Christ,
I am happy to inform you that our Church in America continues to grow, paralleling our parish in Greenville’s growth over the past four years! Recently, we accepted a new bishop and several clergy members from a different Orthodox jurisdiction, along with several parishes in Massachusetts, Virginia, Georgia, and Guatemala, among other places! This follows on the heels of our accepting two bishops, nine priests, and eight or so parishes last year.
Church administrative processes are rarely covered in bulletin messages, but I think it is important to touch on this subject, because in Orthodoxy, the administrative function of the Church is linked with the spiritual function of the Church. Administrative processes and procedures are in place in order to facilitate good order, because within a well-ordered Church, Christians are free to focus on the salvation of their souls and the growth of their spiritual life, and disruptions in the administrative order can have a negative impact on the same.
There should only be one Orthodox Church in each given area, with all of the parishes in that area reporting to the bishop. Each bishop oversees his region, and all of the bishops in a common territory such as the modern nation-state come together in what are called Synods to pray together and discuss matters that affect the Church as a whole. Presiding over the Synod is a senior bishop, who is accorded a title such as Archbishop or Patriarch. In our Church, our local bishop is His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos, and the Archbishop is His Beatitude Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens and All Greece.
In America, Orthodoxy is not yet well-established, and as a result, there is some administrative irregularity. This stems from the fact that when immigrants came to America from their various homelands, they arranged for priests from their area to minister to them. Hence, there were priests from Russia, Greece, the Ottoman Empire, etc. These priests reported back to bishops in the homeland, until eventually bishops started taking up residence in the New World.
Because there was no agreed-upon plan for how to organize America in an Orthodox sense, there appeared various overlapping Orthodox Churches, which are often referred to as “jurisdictions.” In the beginning, most of these Churches were united in Holy Communion, with parishioners being able to attend and receive communion at the other parishes.
Beginning in 1924, however, changes began to be introduced back in the Old Country, such as the adoption of the so-called “New” Calendar, and moves to have Orthodox clergy join in prayer with non-Orthodox clergy and sign joint agreements in a misguided attempt to foster Church unity. Everyone wants people to be united, but the problem is that the Truth was often compromised in these gatherings, which over time have become more and more comprehensive.
To sum up a complex issue, when people see Orthodox and non-Orthodox clergy together on a stage or podium, the clear distinction between Orthodoxy and other Churches is watered down; if it is watered down, people are less likely to become Orthodox; and thus, people lose access to the saving tools of our faith, such as fasting, the Holy Mysteries (sacraments), spiritual guidance from holy priests and monks, etc. We call this movement for unity at any cost, regardless of Truth, “Ecumenism.”
When these changes were introduced, there were groups of faithful who stood up to the changes, and this is how the Old Calendar Orthodox Church was formed. Many parishes in America refused to change to the New Calendar as well, and as a result, there were now jurisdictions formed for the purpose of not participating in any innovation of the Orthodox faith. This is how our Metropolis in America was formed, back in 1954 in Astoria, New York.
Over time, there has been a move to reduce the number of overlapping jurisdictions based on ethnic origins, because as mentioned before, it is irregular and was meant to be temporary, and because it is confusing to both the faithful and to the American public at large. People often ask me if an “Orthodox Christian” is the same thing as a “Greek Orthodox” and if this is in term the same as “Russian Orthodox.” These things are all the same, of course! They are just different ways of saying the same thing. Differences in language and music style do not affect the essence of our faith. In our Church in America, we now have five bishops; all are American-born, with three being of Greek descent baptized as children, and two being non-Greek converts. We have priests of American, Greek, Russian, and other backgrounds, all united in one Church.
Because of a desire to resist innovations and other canonical problems, sometimes groups of clergy leave a jurisdiction for another. In the case of those who have joined us in 2011 and 2012, they had previously encouraged the Church they belonged to to merge with us completely, as part of this move to reduce overlapping jurisdictions. Unfortunately, there were also two theological controversies brewing in that Church (which some have noted served as a convenient excuse to remain separate on the part of those who did not want to unite with us, perhaps fearing change). A large number of clergy attempted to bring their former Church into full unity with ours, but when that did not happen, they proceeded in two waves. It is a great boon to our Church in America, and we pray that those who remained separate from us will follow their brothers and sisters into communion with us shortly, as there is no reason for them to remain independent.
As we can see, both the difficult reality of a New World and concerns over faith led to a confusing administrative situation for Orthodox Christians in the last century in America, but over time, there has been a drive to unite administratively and clear this up. Paradoxically, though, at times questions of faith arise which make it necessary for Orthodox Christians to resist communing with those who have begun to teach new things. There is no conflict though in these two principles, and the reason for it becomes apparent, however, when by holding firm to the correct confession of faith and to our principles, we see other clergy and people come to our Church because of our witness.
Those who have come over to our Church are now free from the distractions which were keeping them from their spiritual growth, just like many of us who converted to Orthodoxy from other religions and Churches felt liberated when we were baptized, put on Christ, and began our new lives as Orthodox. Administrative questions are not the focus of our faith, but they do play a part in the way the Church runs, and that affects our individual spiritual lives. We should all therefore remain aware of what goes on. We are thankful to God that He has blessed our Church to grow so much in the past several years, and we invite all who are not currently members, both in Greenville and elsewhere, to come and see the good things going on here.
In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios
August 2012 Bulletin Message
Please Note: This is something I wrote over a year and a half ago, which I never published online. I am posting it now for posterity. – Anastasios
Dear Friends in Christ,
September marks our fourth anniversary, and as in previous years, I’d like to take a moment to recap some of what has happened over the past year. As in previous years, we have continued to grow, by God’s providence and grace. The primary purpose of the Church is the salvation of souls, and we were blessed to baptize six people in the past year at our parish. Several others have embarked on the path to baptism as well.
In terms of “personnel,” we welcomed into our community a professor of music who quickly began to participate in the chanting ministry of the parish. The divine services have thus been enriched by hearing traditional ecclesiastical music, known colloquially as Byzantine Chant. Also, my godson who lived out of state made arrangements with his studies that allowed him and his wife to move to North Carolina so that they could participate in our missionary endeavors and help the parish in its work. We are actively seeking additional opportunities for parish internships.
We have begun having parish meetings once a month (with a break in the summer) and this is encouraging each person to feel his or her role in the community directly, and is a necessary step as we grow, to reduce bottlenecks, single points of failure, and overburdening of volunteers. So far, the response has been quite positive. Outside of Church, we are continuing to grow in our relationships; some of the children meet for play dates, and the adults have had numerous social engagements. Recently, some of us met in Raleigh for a Greek night at a local restaurant, and enjoyed traditional cuisine, music, and dancing. These social engagements are outgrowths of our mutual faith, and enrich our experience as Christians living in this world.
In the year ahead, I have identified two key areas of focus. The first is the development of additional clergy. There are prayers to formally ordain chanters, altar servers, and wardens, and we will request that the bishop give his blessing to those who have been filling these roles already. Additionally, the parish community has expressed a desire that a deacon candidate be identified, trained, and ordained. A deacon helps the priest in both the liturgy and in the ministries outside of the liturgy, and having a deacon would allow additional services to occur when I am unable to be present in Greenville. The role of deacon is a ministry in and of itself, but it also can serve as a step toward the priesthood if that need were to arise.
The other area of focus is to encourage each family to take greater “ownership” in the spiritual and material development of the parish. Those who come to the parish meetings are already beginning to engage in this model, but I encourage the readers who live far away or who have not been attending regularly to also consider how they might help the parish. There are always tasks to be done, some of which could be done remotely, which would help us continue on our mission. Those who come regularly should continue to ask themselves if there is anything else that might need to be done which no one else has mentioned or thought of. If each family takes the lead in an area, then we will find that there are less gaps and that we are better insulated against uncertainties. Also, we want to make sure that work does not fall on a small group of people who may become overwhelmed.
In the spiritual realm, each person and family should take ownership by learning how to pray the Reader’s service, also known as the Service of the Typica. This service is done by Orthodox Christians when no priest is present, and presently we have this service each Sunday when I am not available to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Attendance at the Typica is as important as attendance at liturgy, and no one should feel that it is somehow “less” of a Church service. The priestly-celebrated Divine Liturgy provides Holy Communion, but every Sunday Christians are called to gather in prayer. If we cannot attend liturgy at the Church or the Reader’s service there, then we should pray it at home with our family. It only takes twenty minutes or so, but it is important for us to nurture the rhythm and cycle of Sunday worship, so we stay connected to our faith. This is especially important for those who live far away. Every family should be able to lead these prayers if the need were to arise. If you would like a copy of the service text and advice on how to pray it, please contact me, or pick up copies at the Church.
I look forward to another year of growth in our parish, and to our own spiritual growth over the same period.
Through the prayers of all the saints, may God bless us!
In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios
Keeping the End in Mind
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last Friday, there was a rare “Derecho” storm which pounded the East Coast, knocking out power in the DC area, parts of North Carolina, and places even further away. I had been working in the Northern Virginia area for my secular profession and left the Falls Church area around 8:00 pm in an effort to avoid traffic. Things were going pretty smooth, but past Richmond I noticed that things were getting windy.
Suddenly, there were people slamming on brakes and I came across a series of branches which had been broken up across the road. I can only surmise that trucks had driven over the branches and shattered them. I feared that my tires would be punctured, but thankfully they were not. Continuing on, twigs began flying on my windshield, the wind blew my car off course slightly a few times, and numerous times I had to slow down and swerve to avoid downed tree limbs. I saw some people pull over, but being that I-85 South is lined with trees, I also feared a tree falling on my car. I decided to outrun the storm, and 20 harrowing minutes later, I was safe, thanks to God.
While I was in this situation, I pulled out my komboschini (prayer rope) and began to pray the Jesus prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It had been longer than I would have liked since my last confession, and this was a powerful reminder to me that we never know when the time is at hand. Needless to say, I confessed the next day.
Some of our non-Orthodox friends, especially those who hold the ahistorical and minority view of “once saved, always saved” chide us for being fearful of the time of death. Certainly they have a point insofar as we who have been saved by Christ and are being saved by Christ, will be saved by Christ at the hour of death, and thus we have a strong hope. However, we also know from the Scriptures and the entire corpus of the Church Fathers’ teachings that we can fall away from grace, unlike what our non-Orthodox friends believe, and so we should always be cautious and repent of our sins diligently.
The Lord allows such harrowing moments in order to warn us and prepare us. But because we are called to cooperate with God’s grace, we have to take the ball and run with it after He shows us the way or gives us a hint. The monastic fathers often write about the remembrance of death as a technique to aid our repentance. Such a concept sounds morbid to many of us, but this is only because our culture has made avoiding the reality of death an art (witness the modern funeral industry). By confronting the fact that any day may be our last, by thinking about the upcoming Judgment, we are given a chance to make the choices that day that will lead us toward Christ and not away from Him.
Rather than being a negative and fatalistic exercise, it is a humbling and empowering exercise. Imagine our relief if, when we stand before the Throne of Judgment, we have already confessed and repented of our sins, and have departed this life prepared. Having thought about the end, we never wasted a moment of our precious time on Earth. Rather than putting things off for another day, we confront what needs to be confronted, knowing it may be our only chance. We will go to bed each night with a clean conscience, and wake up each morning prepared for the mission we are on. Pride will melt away, because following the psalm, we will remember that “as for man, his days are as the grass, as the flowers of the field, so shall he blossom forth” knowing that our life is beautiful and a gift from God, and also that it is fleeting, temporary, and given to us for a season.
Brothers and sisters, each day let us confess our sins to God, and as often as possible let us confess to the priest, as Our Lord showed us (c.f. John 20). Let us take each scary moment of our life as a gift from God, given to warn us and prepare us. Let us take advantage of such moments by expanding on them and proactively remembering our mortality daily so that we are never caught unprepared. The path is set before us, the tools are given to us; let us take advantage of them!
In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios
Heavenly King
Dear Friends in Christ,
Most prayers of the Orthodox Church begin with the following prayer:
Heavenly King, O Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who Art everywhere present and fillest all things, O Treasury of blessings and Bestower of life, come and dwell within us, and cleanse us from all stain, and save our souls, O Good One.
The only exception is that we do not pray this prayer between the great feast of Pascha and Pentecost, because during this time we commemorate Christ’s Resurrection continuously, recall his post-resurrectional appearances, His Ascension, and His promise to send the Holy Spirit when He was no longer with them.
As with many of the prayers which are commonly said, we often rattle them off without considering their deeper meaning. One important reason though that prayers such as these are so common is that the Holy Fathers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, thought it necessary to repeat them frequently so they would “sink in” over time. Indeed, after such prayers have become ingrained in us, it is often the case that suddenly we contemplate a word, a phrase, or some aspect of the prayer that we had not considered before.
This prayer is directed toward the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity. We learn from the prayer that the Holy Spirit is the Heavenly King, which follows from His being God, consubstantial with the Father and the Son. We also see that he is everywhere present and filling all things, and that he bestows blessings and gives life; without His presence, life would wither away, and this world would cease to exist. In our times of feeling down, when we wonder where God is in our life, we should recall that if God were not constantly willing for us to be alive, we would cease to exist in an instant. The very fact that we are alive and moving is by God’s will and intervention, and He is present with us always.
We ask the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within us and to cleanse us from all stain. For those outside the Church, God works from without; in other words, He reaches out to us, allowing us to come into situations that will benefit our soul and lead us to salvation (whether we think of these situations as “good” or “bad” at the moment they occur, we know that all things work together for our salvation). He gives blessings, responds to prayers, and stands with them.
However, for the Orthodox Christian, the Holy Spirit has entered into His soul, and works from within, by virtue of his chrismation. While the non-Orthodox Christian may be forgiven for the individual sins which he repents of, at the Orthodox Christian’s baptism, chrismation, and at each sincere confession, all of his sins removed completely, blotted out, and forgotten, and indeed his sinful condition is reversed gradually as he becomes more and more godly. Grace for the Orthodox Christian is not a temporary, outward favor, but an internal and continuous flow, raising him above the natural state of life, and allowing him to live in a state of anticipation of the Resurrected life of eternity. We see this in the spiritual gifts that Orthodox Christians often exhibit, especially in the life of the saints. Martyrs exhibit great patience, the unmercenary saints are given healing powers, some elders can guide us through clairvoyance, and others are given great counseling talents to reconcile enemies.
We see that the Holy Spirit saves our souls. Salvation is not a one-time event, given to the sinner at the moment that he says a certain prayer accepting Christ, as some theorize. Accepting Christ and His work is the first stage in a process of becoming God-like through the grace of the Spirit. When we come to judgment, will we be full of the Holy Spirit, or will we have let Him go away through negligence or even have pushed Him away by backsliding into sinfulness? We are given so much grace that we can become God-like, but the flipside is that we will be judged on whether we allow that to happen, and how far we take the gift. We should always recall the parable of the talents, where the man who buries the coin entrusted to him is condemned, whereas the two men who multiply the coins through investing are praised. We cannot sit on the treasure and squander the opportunities given to us.
I will close by remarking that this prayer reveals that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Spirit of Truth. God comforts us and nurtures us, but sometimes this causes us to have to confront ourselves, our lives, and our actions in a very honest way. This is often a painful process, but we are liberated after we go through it. The comfort offered to us is then permanent, a confidence that endures and refines us, instead of a temporary “fix” or a “feel good moment.” How often we seek fixes and feel good moments, the feedback of the friends we know will agree with us, and then as soon as we sink back, we seek it again in a never-ending cycle. But the Holy Spirit will help us to overcome our shortcomings and blocks, and cause us to grow. Let us endure temporary suffering in return for eternal comfort!
O Holy Spirit, come and save us!
In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios
Christ Preached in Hades
Dear Friends in Christ,
Christ Is Risen! Χριστός ανέστη!
We had a blessed Pascha here in Greenville, North Carolina. Those of you who were able to make it joined me in witnessing our largest turnout to date. Seeing this steady growth of our parish is encouraging and gives us the energy needed to keep going and continue to expand our parish ministries.
During Holy Week and Pascha, we hear a lot about Hades, which is the Greek word that is used to translate the Hebrew word Sheol, and means the realm of the dead. It is the place that all of the people before Christ went, whether bad or good, due to Christ’s work on the Cross not yet being completed. When Christ died on the Cross, He descended into Hades and freed the captives held there—in other words, all of the righteous ones of the Old Testament. As the Paschal troparion states, “Christ is risen from the dead; by death hath He trampled down death, and on those in the graves hath He bestowed life.”
In the period after Pascha, we read through the Book of Acts. This past Saturday, we heard the following during the reading:
And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned and told, Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people (Acts 5:21-25).
Hearing about the prison reminded me of Hades. Righteous people were taken there unjustly, and locked within. Guards were at the doors. But when the council of the Jews went to bring those detained, they found no man in the prison. Now, it is unlikely that the prison was completely empty, so by this statement we can understand that those who were being sought were no longer there; “no man” refers to the Apostles who had been detained, and not to the common prisoners. In the same way, the hymns of our Church speak of Hades being emptied of its captives, yet we know that there remain people in Hades awaiting judgment.
It is amazing to think that St. John the Baptist descended first into Hades to prepare the way for Christ (as the hymns of our Church teach us) and then Christ Himself went there to preach. For those who were righteous, His words were life and they were given life. For those who rejected Him, however, His preaching merely hardened them in their ways. As St. Peter reminds us:
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water (1 Peter 3:18-20).
Christ’s preaching here is to confirm the rejection of these wicked, who being faced with God Himself, still chose to reject Him, while saving those who responded to His call.
How can one stand face to face with Christ, and yet still reject Him? It is a question I have often wondered, but when I think of my own sinfulness, the answer becomes clear. When the soul is pure, it sees God and experiences His grace, but when the soul becomes darkened through sin, it is like a windshield becoming dirty or a glass becoming covered with film, and gradually the grace of God is dimmed and in some cases even extinguished completely. Those who rejected Christ in Hades were unable to respond to Him because of their own hardened hearts. Their darkened souls prevented them from admitting their need for the Savior, and while they intellectually understood it when confronted with Him, they could not join themselves to Him.
In the same way, many of us think that we will be saved in the end, because we know who Christ is, and accept that He died for our sins, and we are trying to live a good life. But in reality, our faith in Christ must be transformative, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). If after we have come to Christ and His Church we do not notice any change in our life, or we find excuses as to why we cannot grow in faith, then we are experiencing a foretaste of our eternal destiny; if we can stand here on Earth, confessing Christ with our lips but not with our heart, then at death we will be unable to respond to Christ’s love and presence in front of us.
Let us avoid such a fate by calling out “Lord, have mercy!” and instead of trying to merely follow a set of rules, let us live our lives showing the same love toward Christ as He has already shown toward us, never wishing to do anything that will cloud our vision of Him again. If you are not sure how to begin this process, please come to the Church, and after the service we can sit down and talk.
In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios
Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh
Dear Friends in Christ,
Holy Week is fast approaching, and Great Lent 2012 will conclude before we know it. This year, we began celebrating the Akathist to the Theotokos (Hairetismi) each Friday night. When I was not able to make it to Greenville, the parishioners came together and prayed it as a lay-led service, which is so very encouraging to me. Our faith must be owned by each and every one of us! Thanks to everyone who made this possible.
During Holy Week, we pray the service of the Bridegroom Matins on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings. The highlight of this service is the singing of the hymn:
Behold, the Bridegroom cometh at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching: and again, unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, lest you be given up to death and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom. But rouse yourself crying: Holy, holy, holy, art Thou, O our God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us.
This hymn refers to the Gospel passage found in Matthew 25:1-13:
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
The Bible is full of similar warnings about the end of time and the Second Coming of Christ. It is clear that none of us know the time when He will return; every attempt to predict His return has been thwarted and the would-be prophets shamed. Because we do not know when the Lord will return, we should be vigilant and prepare ourselves.
Besides a reference to the end of time, however, this parable has meaning in our individual lives, for all of us will die one day, and we “know not the day nor the hour” of our departure. Some of us may live to a ripe old age, while others may suffer some tragedy. The first year of our mission in Greenville, we lost two friends; an elderly man and a middle-aged but relatively young man, both unexpectedly. The one outlived his wife, while the other was outlived by his own mother.
Knowing this, however, most of us continue to sin! We compartmentalize ourselves, so that we can shut off our conscience and avoid thinking of the consequences of our actions. The Bridegroom service—which is repeated four days in a row—helps to reinforce the truth about what is to come; it confronts us and calls us to prepare. The Scripture parable that serves as its basis shows us that we must prepare for the coming of the Lord with as much fervor as we prepare for the worldly pursuits which sustain our bodies. How many of us work long hours, encourage—even compel—our children to study and become successful in their careers, and yet we do not insist on our own preparation nor do we teach our children that such preparation is essential to the Christian life? Will Judgment Day catch us by surprise?
The good news is that we can turn away from sin now and get back on track. While we still have life in our bodies, there is still time to repent and return to God! The first step toward this goal is to increase our participation in the Divine Mysteries, such as Holy Communion and Confession. If we do this regularly, we will not depart from this world unprepared, and in our life here we will begin to experience God’s grace in all its glory, as we witness a transformation from natural man to child of God.
This is one reason why it is essential for Orthodox Christians to attend Church each and every time there is a service, as much as is possible; while it is true that “God is everywhere,” the Holy Mysteries can only be found at Church. We only have a limited amount of time to grow as Christians, and we can never know for sure if there will be a “next Sunday.” Such sentiments are not intended to be morbid, but rather to give an honest presentation of the facts and exhort all to prepare.
Let’s not take for granted that there will be a next time, for we simply cannot know what tomorrow will bring. Let us store up oil like the wise Virgins, so we are prepared for the Lord when He comes for us. If we do, then we shall enter into the Bridal Chamber of Heaven and live with Christ forever.
In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios
